Course PM

Design of Technological Innovations and Markets CIP011 (7.5 hec)

 

 

Examiner: Professor Mats Lundqvist mats.lundqvist@chalmers.se

Course administrator: Satenik Atanesyan satenik@chalmers.se

Questions relating to the course organisation and content must be posted on Canvas

 

Course Aim and Fit in the Business Creation Lab

The purpose of the course is to give the student knowledge on how to create and extract financial and other value through the design of technological innovations and markets.

It relates to the IPS course in the way that understanding of various IP is key when it comes to formulating technology-based innovation strategies. IP adds an important control-dimension to general Innovation Management theory, which in turn has more emphasis on customer utilities and technical performance.

The TBE course part 1 (prior to DTIM) introduces the student to being customer- and needs-focused (the Start-up challenge) as well as to the importance of team dynamics and team learning. The DTIM course will draw from these important aspects while situating innovation in a more complex asset- and technology-based corporate context. In this context, fluency around how to formulate firm strategy, innovation strategy, business models and product concepts are crucial for progress. Also linking insights of (new) customer utilities to technical performance and other assets are key, as well as quantifying such future value into financial value.

Changes and Updates from Last Year

Covid-19 made us go to a digital time-limited home-exam. This new format will be kept. However, students need to become more aware of the stressfulness related to answering and uploading five answers with sub-questions, digitally and be helped with how to avoid missing out on some questions, due to lack of time.

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to):

• Demonstrate understanding of innovation management in technology-based business, including innovation strategy and business strategy and their interlinking as well as good innovative management.
• Use relevant concepts and models as well as acquired specialized knowledge (technology-specific and other) to analyse and design sustainable technological innovations including techno-economic relationships as well as innovation design methods.
• Be able to perform an analysis of innovative business models including financial projections- and valuations

 

 

Content

Gaining fluency in central innovation management concepts is at the core of the course. This includes understanding of industry dynamics of technological innovation, of formulating technological innovation strategies and implementation of such strategies. The main Schilling text book offers most of these concepts used in and beyond corporate contexts.

Business model thinking and techno-economic value analysis (TEVA) complements the understanding of innovation management by offering tools more relevant for tech start-ups wanting to commercialize an early-stage patented technology. The team assignment in the DTIM relates to this tech-start-up situation. Through cases in Schilling and Steve Jobs biography, class-room discussions will help contextualize and connect between the specific and the general, as well as between the corporate context and the more team-based BCL start-up experience.

 

Subject	Lecturer/Responsible	Date	Time
Innovation & Entrepreneurship	Mats Lundqvist	Sept 1	3 h
Product design	Mats Lundqvist	Oct 20	2 h
Innovation and Firm Strategy 1	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 1	3 h
Innovation and Firm Strategy 2	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 2	3 h
Product Concepts and Techno-Economic Values Analysis	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 3	3 h
Product concept/TEVA consultations	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 4	3 h
Building and Justifying the Product Concept	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 5	3 h
Introduction to Business Models and Business Model Innovations	Anders Sundelin	Nov 9	3 h
Value Proposition Design	Anders Sundelin	Nov 9	3 h
Developing New Business Models	Anders Sundelin	Nov 10	3 h
Analysing Business Models	Anders Sundelin	Nov 11	3 h
Innovation Law - Organization	Christoffer Hermansson	Nov 12	3 h
Business Modelling and Financial Statements	Anders Sundelin	Nov 15	3 h
Business Modelling, Assumptions and Valuation	Anders Sundelin	Nov 16	3 h
Business Model Consultations	Anders Sundelin	Nov 17	3 h
Investing in Start-ups	Per Hulthén	Nov 18	3 h
Venture Finance in Practice	Per Hulthén	Nov 19	3 h
Product Development Management	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 22	3 h
Marketing, pricing and sales	Per Hulthén	Nov 23	4 h
The Innovative Firm	Mats Lundqvist/Tobias Fredberg	Nov 24	3 h
Assignment Feedback + Course Wrap-up	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 24	2 h
DTIM Exam	Mats Lundqvist	Nov 29	4 h

 

Schedule

The schedule is available in Chalmers Time Edit, MPBDP year 1. See: https://cloud.timeedit.net/chalmers/web/public/ri17059x050Z0QQ645658Z40yZ086Wg405Y64Q0Q137.html Even though we try to avoid it as much as possible, changes may occur. So please check the schedule on a daily basis for any updates.

In the DTIM course the schedule mainly consists of lectures that include discussion questions to be prepared, and then group wise scheduled consultations for the major hand-ins. In connection with some lectures there will also be guest appearances.

Examination

Written Exam

The written exam takes place at the end of the course and is the main form of examination. The exam will be a four-hour time-limited home-exam on Canvas. The purpose of the exam is for the student to demonstrate understanding, reflectiveness and use of relevant models and concepts in the course. The exam contains questions relating to classes, literature as well as key take-aways from the assignments.

Assignments

The course contains two main assignments and a number of smaller assignments to prepare for the lectures. All assignments are carried out within the BCL teams assigned in the beginning of the semester. Details relating to the assignments (content as well as how they are assessed) are published as the course progresses. Your individual understanding of the assignment can also be assessed as part of the written exam.

Plagiarism

All work handed in for examination must have been produced by the ones claiming to have produced the work. The written assignments are scanned through the ‘URKUND’ plagiarism check. By submitting an assignment for grading you acknowledge that you have read and understood the rules regarding plagiarism and its consequences.

Course Grade

The overall course grade is based on the scores obtained on the written exam and passing the assignments in the course according to the table below.

Grading of assignments and written exam	Points	Group/Individual
Product concept and TEVA	Pass/fail	BCL Group
Business model	Pass/fail	BCL Group
Lecture related one-pager hand-ins	Pass/fail	Probably different group constellations (see Canvas) if permitted due to Covid-19
Written Exam	0-50	Individual

 

Grade (fail, 3, 4 or 5):          0-19 = Fail      20-29 = 3        30-39 = 4                      40-50 = 5

 

Literature

1. Schilling, Melissa A. Strategic Management of Technological Innovation, 6^th Edition, McGraw Hill 2019 (Editions 3 to 5 also work. Please check specific posted case studies on Canvas if you lack the ones used in class (Genzyme in 3^rd as well as Tesla and Sangamo cases in 5^th edition)
2. Lindmark, Sven, Techno-Economic Analysis, course compendium 2006 (published on Canvas)
3. Isaacson, Walter, Steve Jobs, Little Brown, London 2011 (see Canvas for specified chapter reading)
4. Everything else related to DTIM posted on Canvas

 

At http://bookboon.com/ you can download free e-books in various subjects. E.g. if you want to have additional reading material within finance and investments.